ACLU

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said that members of Westboro Baptist Church will be arrested if they attempt to protest the funerals of the two women killed in the movie theater shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana.

“If they come here to Louisiana, if they try to disrupt this funeral, we’re going to lock them up. We’re going to arrest them,” Jindal said. “They shouldn’t try that in Louisiana. We won’t abide by that here. Let these families grieve.”

John Houser shot 11 people in a Lafayette movie theater over a week ago, before shooting and killing himself. Two women, Mayci Breaux, 21, and Jillian Johnson, 33, were killed–and it’s their funerals that may be picketed.

Westboro Baptist Church–reviled by just about everyone on either side of the aisle–has made an infamous reputation for themselves with their high-profile picketing of funerals, including many for U.S. servicemen and women killed in combat.

The controversial church claims that American troops are killed because of American society’s embrace of “sin,” including the fight for gay rights.

While they have no formal plans to picket the funerals, they have posted a number of things on social media, hinting that they may.

Jindal intends to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to arresting the protesters. He issued an executive order to prohibit protesting at funerals or other memorial services. The order requires protesters to stay at least 300 feet away from all funerals, for a period of two hours before and two hours and the event.

The Americans Civil Liberties Union has criticized Jindal’s order, but Jindal refuses to back down–and, with the funerals coming shortly, it’s unlikely that any legal challenge will make it in time to overturn the executive order before the funerals.

17 Muslim inmates at jails in Miami-Dade County are suing the state of Florida–because they don’t like their food.

The lawsuit is being assisted by the ACLU and a group called CAIR-Florida.

The complaint stems from the inmates claiming that they haven’t received halal meals in nearly a year–since October 2014.

Halal meals are part of Islamic law, which dictates which foods may be eaten and how they must be prepared, similar to kosher food under Jewish tradition.

The inmates claim that, by not receiving halal food, they’re being forced to violate their religion–which they claim is a violation of their First Amendment rights to freedom of religion.

Technically, according to the Constitution, these inmates would be entitled to halal meals. But here’s the thing: the Miami-Dade County Rehabilitation Department–which oversees the prisons–are claiming that the prisoners are already given the proper food, and this lawsuit is essentially frivolous.

Miami-Dade County said, in a statement, that “the [rehabilitation] department’s Imam, who has serviced the Muslim inmate population for several years… found the alternative meal currently offered to Muslim inmates to be in accordance with Muslim principles.”

The Miami-Dade County Rehabilitation Department continued that even during Ramadan–the holy month in Islam, where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset–they continued to give them the same halal food.

The ACLU, CAIR-Florida, and the 17 inmates in the lawsuit believe otherwise. While it’s too early to tell who will prevail in this lawsuit, a successful suit could result in new changes to the United States prison system–forcing them to give more privileges and perks to special groups who demand it.

Taking a stand for religious freedom and time honored traditions, parents and students at the Ridgewood Middle School in West Shreveport planned demonstrations to keep the words “In God We Trust” on the school’s marquee before being notified by school officials that the change would not take place as planned.

One such demonstration involved students at the school who held a lunchtime rally where organizers distributed 500 T-shirts bearing the iconic phrase to attendees.

The storm erupted last month with a dispute at another school within the Caddo Parish where one unnamed individual filed a complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against Albert Hardison, principal at the Walnut Hill Middle School, and his practice of including prayers in school communications.

The litigation threat by the ACLU against the school system prompted Mr. Hardison to remove all references to God or religion of any kind from announcements, official documents and websites maintained by the Caddo Parish School District – including the phrase “In God We Trust” from the marquee in front of the Ridgewood Middle School.

After further review by attorney’s representing the school district, school officials were given the go ahead to keep the phrase with the caveat that subsequent litigation could result in the removal of “In God We Trust” from the school front at a later date.

The push back began when 40 student members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) enlisted the help of Pastor and parent Joey Ketchum who organized the rally and the T-shirt giveaway at the school.

Pastor Ketchum contacted station KSLA 12 to discuss the controversy after being notified by school officials that the phrase would stay on the schools marquee. In an interview with Ketchum in front of the sign, he told KSLA:

“I’m so thrilled because that is such a victory for our students. They wanted to take a stand and they did and we’re so thrilled to death that their voice was heard loud and clear.”

Anyone familiar with the legal tactics used by the ACLU and their “deep pocket” ability to drive up the litigation costs of targets that refuse to yield to the organization’s demands – regardless of the merits of a case – know that the school’s victory may be short lived.